Don’t get too comfortable – your couch may be loaded with chemicals

As unsettling as it is to think about i, heavy metals and toxic chemicals are all around us. Sometimes it seems that, no matter how stringent you are about the mercury-content of your tuna or the material makeup of your clothing, there is just no way to escape these potentially hazardous materials.

A recent study from the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology won't do much to allay that concern, either. According to the study, the majority of couch cushions – 85 percent in all – contain chemical flame retardants that can cause significant health issues if you're exposed to them in large amounts.

The American Chemistry Council reportedly issued a statement regarding the finding, CNN reports, explaining that these chemical levels were understandable, since they promoted fire safety and could thereby be saving lives by preventing the rapid spread of a blaze.

However, even if it is for their own safety, consumers may not be too happy about settling in against a cushy pillow of toxins.

"The government makes rules that certain standards have to be met, and they don’t say how to meet them," Arlene Blum, study author, chemist and tireless advocate for the removal of potentially harmful pollutants from household products, told CNN.

Because of this, says Blum, many furniture companies could be tempted to employ the cheapests methods possible to meet safety standards – without necessarily considering the other risks their measures pose.

One chemical found in many of the 102 couches tested across the country, Tris, was used in children's pajamas before the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned it in 1977 because of health concerns. Though it is gradually being phased out, most of the replacement chemicals aren't much better, according to reports.

Arlene Blum isn't the only one concerned about the prevalence of such chemicals in our daily lives. At Longevity Centres of America, we offer a number of detoxification processes including IV chelation treatment and infrared therapy to cleanse your body of these pollutants.